Best of design 2013

Li Edelkoort is one of the world’s most influential trend predictors. Holding sell-out workshops in her Paris HQ (red-bricked and rationalist in layout, it is more like a werkplaats in her native Holland), she also consults to a select group of industrialists such as Nissan, Siemens and Coca-Cola. Some years ago, I watched her present the findings of her research on consumer electronics to the design team at Philips. Gliding out in her finest high-priestess robes, hair brushed back to expose piercing blue eyes, to a hushed room she quietly intoned: “White is the way forward." And behold, the array of immaculate objects she had splayed in front of her. “But the opposite of white," she confided, “is black." And on cue a swarm of assistants ushered the immaculate objects off stage, to replace them with a range of corresponding pieces in black. To my mind, the point of this exposition was not so much to elucidate the rudiments of (non) colour theory; Edelkoort’s point was that even when spotting trends, opposites need to be considered.

Compiling any “best of" list is to walk a hazardous path, one littered with that suite of debris we know as taste. That one person likes one thing is no guarantee that another will, and neither is any imprimatur, nor stamp of intrinsic worth.

In assembling this Best of Design 2013 list, several guiding principles were followed. First, that the object be recognisable in its genre – to paraphrase Gertrude Stein, “a chair is a chair is a chair". Second, that while new forms are desirable, they are not ipso facto an indicator of innovation. Innovation derives from stretching the limits of materiality, attaining new levels of functionality or exercising new techniques. And third, as architect William Smart says, “form does not follow function, so much as form has a function". That function may be ergonomic (higher speed, better seating), sensual (dang, but this just makes me feel good) or simply aspirational. Whichever, cut the ribbon – let the Design 2013 games begin.

Traffic armchair

AFR
AFR

Konstantin Grcic for Magis

When Italian manufacturing giant Magis asked Konstantin Grcic to create a chair that would bring Bertoia and Eames to mind, he came up with the Traffic range. Realising that these classic mid-century designs were often treated as “wire sculptures that end up being covered by a cushion" he decided that “building a three-dimensional cage and stuffing loose cushions into it makes for a perfect construction". And he’s right, there is an elegance to the perceived fragility of these structures, although the 12 millimetre powder-coated wire has been weight-tested and found more than sufficient. Upholstered in Kvadrat’s high-performance Steelcut Trio 2 wool blend fabrics, the idiomatic colours only add to the allure of this new modern classic.

Available as an armchair, €1500 ($2600), two-seater, chaise longue, recliner and benches.

Liquid Glacial Dining Table

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Tables are often excellent distillations of an architect’s ethos and style; aesthetic yet functional, they are mini- buildings, so to speak. Nowhere is this more evident than in Zaha Hadid’s Liquid Glacial Table. Just as her CAD-developed buildings are systems of swirling interstices, so too the computer programming of this polished Plexiglass table has produced a sensual structure that privileges the curve over the grid. Conceived as a rippling pool of water that drains into the vortex of its legs, the table appears to ebb and flow. Those prone to vertigo, beware!

Corniche shelving

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Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Vitra

A corniche is a rocky outcrop, and a cliff-hugging road (most famously, the one slithering along the Côte d'Azur to Monte Carlo). A Corniche is also the moniker conferred upon that Rolls-Royce coupe launched in 1971 and sadly discontinued in 1995. In choosing the name for their new shelves, the Bouroullec brothers seem to be highlighting the sleek, chic lines and hint of exoticism in the design. While long, linear shelving has been the modernist norm, the Corniches – essentially individual protrusions into their environment – speak to a new individualism. “The same way that we hang our belongings on a rock jutting from a cliff before diving into the sea, we need small, informal storage in everyday life too," says Ronan Bouroullec. Made from injection moulded ABS, the five available colours are integrated into the material itself. Mounted singly (a doorside key tray, for instance) they are fun, but in series they make for a majestic installation.

From smallest (11.6cm high, 21cm wide, 14cm deep), £43 ($75)

Parawood chair

Adam Goodrum for Dessein

Imposing yet elegant, the Parawood is a flat-pack chair made of sustainable timber. Once the sap of the parà (or rubberwood) tree is exhausted, the timber is then used for furniture, and Goodrum seized his chance to create a lightweight (8 kilogram) seat that would suit long, leisurely dining. The scalloped backrest and base are interlocked by curvaceous limbs that, once joined, make for reassuringly solid seating. Stained rather than painted or lacquered, the woodgrain is perceptible through the limited palette of black, white or natural finishes.

Armchair $628, chair $528

Sekki cutlery

Nendo with Kobayashi Kogyo

From one of Japan's most cutting-edge design studios, this cutlery set results from a collaboration with one of the country’s oldest metal foundries, Kobayashi Kogyo, established in 1868. Hewn from thick plates of stainless steel, then pressed and flattened a total of seven times (in lieu of the more usual two), each piece is unique. “It's difficult to make the pieces’ rough, non-standard forms by machine, so the manufacturer had to rely on the sensibility, skill and handwork of its artisans," explains Nendo studio. The prehistoric forms reference these rustic roots but the lush touch and brushed finish make for a tactile table-top experience.

Serving knife, fork and spoon set ¥8000 ($86)

Number 3 frames

Mark McNairy for GLCO

Anyone looking for one-off face furniture has a challenge, since 90 per cent of the eyewear sector is monopolised by Luxottica. But an independent brand has been cutting a swath since its start in 2010: Garrett Leight California Optical, launched by the prodigal son of Los Angeles eyewear brand, Oliver Peoples. This year, GLCO collaborated with fashion designer Mark McNairy to create the Number 3 frame. Its high browline and slightly bulbous frame make it an instant classic. “We looked at the inconspicuous weirdos," says Leight. “The people who don’t give a damn what anyone thinks. People like Aristotle Onassis, Charles Bukowski, Mickey Rourke, Michael Caine, Peter Falk, Allen Ginsberg, Groucho Marx."

Available in black and four natural tortoiseshell tones. Optical $450, sunglasses to $499

Mathilda chair

Patricia Urquiola for Moroso

This seating design speaks to the new DIY aesthetic with a very DFY (Done For You) accent. An apparently elementary A-frame with a chunk of leather-clad ply for a seat and curved raffia-wrapped back looks strung together with Saint Barth’s flotsam. It is, however, the product of one of Italy’s most exacting manufacturers. Urquiola likes to play with our preconceptions, often coming up with naive solutions to what we believe are complex problems. In the end it’s just a lovely seat. Recommended for use at a desk with a view to the sea.

Price on request

Paragon desk lamp

Daniel Libeskind for Artemide

Architect Daniel Libeskind shot to fame in 2001 with his Jewish Museum in Berlin, then was shot down in flames for his design for the new World Trade Centre building in New York. Increasingly he has turned his attention to industrial product. In repose, his Paragon lamp is a slender, metal monolith emitting a defused horizontal beam. In action, it can perform a 360° rotation to the vertical axis whilst its upper three segments can oscillate 90° to the horizontal. Unmistakeable in its architectonic allure, it’s a mini-skyscraper for office or home. The lamp has a steel-covered base and an anodised aluminium shaft.

Price on request

Pots

Benjamin Hubert for MENU

The ceramic pot has been much maligned as a hippy (not hipster) accoutrement, but young British designer Benjamin Hubert breathes new life into an old workhorse with this series of five terracotta containers. The Hubert studio ethos is “material- driven, process-led industrial design" and the idea for these vessels stemmed from a reflection on time-proven methods of storing perishables, keeping them fresh and dry. Each sculptural container features a glazed interior that belies the rustic feel of its raw exterior. Topped with a rubber stopper, they are unashamedly industrial objects, not craft. Functionally specific, the tall silo-shaped cylinder is conceived for easy dispensing of tall pasta; the lipped cone for pouring grains; the stumpy bunker for pouring liquids at table; the open-neck pot for immediate hot or cold edibles – it’s angled base facilitates sharing. Perfectly adapted to multiple uses around the home or work.

Prices range from $59.95 to $499.95

Footloose bicycle

Mando

This bike is a two-wheel transformer, its curvilinear frame folding up for easy storage or rolling between rides. Created by Korean automotive parts manufacturer Mando (from Man and Do), it is a lifestyle bike for the urban dweller who needs to get from A to B fast – and without breaking a sweat. A hybrid, its built-in lithium battery is charged at those times the rider chooses to peddle, and kicks in when confronted with a steep incline, or when the user decides just to cruise, looking groovy. The chains are integrated into the truss, the gear shift is computer-driven, and the electronic control unit is based on the latest automotive technology. At 21 kilograms,the Footloose is not exactly light, but it does so many other things right. It was, after all, shortlisted for the London Design Museum’s 2013 Transport Award.

Flip Around side table

Norm Architects for MENU

Jonas Bjerre-Poulson and Kasper Rønn’s Copenhagen studio sits neatly within the Danish design tradition of quality craftsmanship applied to simplicity of line. But they add a slightly quirky edge to their products, imbuing them with a subtle sense of humour. Their Flip Around table is ostensibly a response to the space limitations of apartment living, though it would look damn fine in a sprawling harbourside mansion, too. Multifuctional, with a simple adjustment it transforms from a removable vide poche, to a streamlined side table, to a surprisingly comfortable stool for when unexpected guests drop in. Constructed from moulded plastic, ashplant and steel, it is a ready-made Danish classic.

US$250 ($270)

Form tea set

Tom Dixon for Eclectic

Taking tea is about taking time, and time is perhaps the greatest luxury of all. That Tom Dixon should rethink a topology as outdated as the tea set just as contemporary lives are nothing short of harried, is no real surprise. As well as being one of the world’s most prolific designers, he is the one with the best sense of what will work at retail; for almost 10 years, Dixon was creative director of Terence Conran’s chain of Habitat lifestyle stores. Part art deco, part Scandinavia with a touch of the Levant for good measure, the six-piece tea set is made from spun brass, which is then polished and dipped in gold wash for a matte surface lustre. Low-laying and almost military in its utilitarian lines, the tea pot, tall jug, tea caddy, milk jug and sugar bowl resemble canisters or canteens. The gradated edge tray adds an extra elegance, just right for display purposes. The set is produced by Dixon’s manufacturing company Eclectic, which specialises in pieces epitomising Englishness.